Introduction:
Shrimad Bhagavad Gita is such a book which gives every human being a unique perspective of living life. It is not just a religious text but a practical guide which teaches us how to understand the challenges of life and deal with them.
Whether you are working somewhere and are not able to do your work properly or you are today’s student who is trying to find your place amidst exams, career decisions, and personal struggles, the verses of Gita act like a beacon of light. It inspires you to find inner peace, self-discipline, and growth. This blog will focus on those shlokas that would be most useful to students, and how these can be implemented in their daily lives.
1. Focus on Your Duty, Not the Outcome (Karma Yoga)
Shlok:
“Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachana” (Chapter 2, Verse 47)
This shlok of Bhagavad Gita explains a very deep thing: We must concentrate fully on our duty but should not be complacent about its result. Meaning, while working, do not think about what its result would be, just keep doing your work in the best possible way.
If you are constantly thinking about your result, then you will not be able to enjoy the process. The word education is derived from “Educo” which means “to develop” means how much you developed yourself during this process. Most of the students get so stressed about exams and results that they forget to give their best. This shlok of Gita teaches us that we should put our energy and focus only on our preparation and not worry about the result.
If you keep thinking only about marks and grades, then your attention will be diverted from the quality of studies. Therefore, you should learn to do your work (studies) with complete orderliness and discipline.
Practical Application for Students:
a. Reduce stress:
Instead of increasing your stress by worrying about the exam results, focus on your preparation. Understand that the result is not in your hands, but hard work is in your control.
b. Enjoy the process:
Do not look at studies as a burden. Enjoy learning every subject, topic or concept. When you look at knowledge for your growth, studying becomes an enjoyable process. Take it like a game and find ways to make studies interesting.
c. Build Consistency:
Many of you students think that when they feel like it, they will start studying, or else some people make the excuse of perfection that until something is not perfect, they do not enjoy it. You should do your work, even if you are not feeling like it, or the situation does not seem right. You should not fall for these temptations of the mind.
2. Manage Your Desires and Stay Balanced (Equanimity)
Shlok:
“Yogastha kuru karmani sangam tyaktva dhananjaya”
(Chapter 2, Verse 48)
In this shlok, Lord Krishna teaches that while doing his work (karma), a person should maintain an equal attitude towards success and failure. Meaning, one should neither be proud of success nor be disappointed on failure. Maintaining balance and equity is the essence of yoga.
For students, success and failure have a huge impact on their mental health and performance. Sometimes if they get good marks in an exam, they become overconfident and sometimes if they get low marks, they get stressed and drowned in guilt. This shloka of Gita tells us that we should keep our emotions under control and maintain a balanced approach in both situations (gain or loss).
Practical Application for Students:
a. Celebrate achievements, but stay grounded:
If you get good marks in exams or receive an award, enjoy the moment, but don’t be overconfident. Staying grounded is important for future growth.
b. Consider failures as a learning opportunity:
If you fail somewhere or don’t get the expected result, turn it into a learning opportunity instead of breaking your motivation. Think about where you went wrong and how you can improve.
c. Handle peer pressure and competition:
Students often compare themselves with the success of their friends or classmates, which can break their confidence. The teaching of this shlok is that you should focus on your actions and stay away from comparisons.
d. Develop emotional stability:
Emotional stability means that your mind does not overreact to situations. Meditation, mindfulness, and self-reflection help in this.
3. Control Your Mind (Mindfulness and Discipline)
Shlok:
“Bandhur atmatmanas tasya yenatmaivatmana jitah”(Chapter 6, Verse 6)
Lord Krishna tells in this shlok that a person’s mind can become his best friend only when he wins over his mind, i.e. controls it. But if the mind is uncontrolled, then it becomes that person’s biggest enemy.
In today’s digital era, controlling one’s mind has become a big challenge for students. Distractions like excessive screen time, social media, and procrastination destroy their focus and productivity. This shlok of Gita teaches that by controlling our mind with discipline, we can achieve our goals.
Practical Application for Students:
Mindfulness means being fully present in the work you are doing. While studying, stay away from mobile and social media and concentrate on your subject. If the mind wanders, gently bring it back to your work.
b. Reduce distractions:
Set a time limit for social media and delete unnecessary apps. Arrange your study area in such a way that there is only a study environment there.
c. Create study routines:
Following a daily study routine is the best way to develop a disciplined mind. Covering every subject in specific time slots and taking breaks will improve your productivity.
d. Take the help of meditation and yoga:
Meditation and yoga can help you keep your mind calm and focused. Just 10-15 minutes of meditation will help you a lot in controlling your mind and reducing stress.
4. Embrace Learning and Detachment (Selfless Knowledge)
Shlok:
“Tadviddhi pranipatena pariprashnena sevaya” (Chapter 4, Verse 34)
Lord Krishna teaches that to gain true knowledge, one must surrender to his Guru with humility and curiosity. The right way to gain knowledge is by praying to and respecting the Guru.
This shlok tells us that the things learned have real significance only when we understand them with an open and humble mind. We can never gain true knowledge with ego (both positive and negative) and arrogance. Learning is a process that never ends, and accepting it is the greatest virtue of a student.
Practical Application for Students:
a. Be Humble with Teachers and Mentors:
Respect your teachers and mentors and always be ready to learn from them. If your attitude is humble, then teachers will guide you more openly and well.
b. Ask Questions Without Hesitation:
Pariprashna means asking questions actively and with curiosity. As long as you want to understand and clear your doubts, your learning process will become strong.
c. Avoid Arrogance in Learning:
Often students become overconfident after gaining a little knowledge and think that they know everything. This attitude stops the learning process. This shlok of Gita teaches that true knowledge can be acquired only with an open and ego-free mind.
d. Stay Curious About New Skills:
Be curious to learn new skills not just in academics but in every aspect of life. The more you are open to learning, the more you will grow.
5. Find Your Passion and Purpose (Swadharma)
Shlok:
“Shreyan swadharmo vigunah paradharmat svanushthitat” (Chapter 3, Verse 35)
Lord Krishna says that it is better to follow one’s dharma (purpose) imperfectly than to follow someone else’s dharma (purpose) perfectly. That is, we should choose our path according to our unique abilities and passions, even if there are challenges in it.
Often students compare themselves with people around them and start following their career path, which is not natural for them. A word is used in Japan “IKIGAI” which means know your career according to your nature. This shloka of Gita teaches that it is important to understand your strengths and interests and define your career and life purpose accordingly.
Practical Application for Students:
a. Explore Your Unique Strengths:
Every student has a different talent and strength. To understand your Ikigai (interest and passion), participate in different activities, like sports, arts, science projects, or internships.
b. Avoid Comparison:
Stop comparing yourself with others. Someone else’s success can be an inspiration for you, but it is wrong to follow their path blindly. Focus on how you can improve yourself.
c. Learn from Failures: It may happen and perhaps it will definitely happen that you will feel that the profession you have chosen does not have name, fame, money and by looking at others you will try to become like them without knowing about them, this is called “Shiny Object Syndrome”. Krishna says that whatever is your dharma (duties according to your basic nature) is do it with patience and determination, even dying in it is the best thing.
6. Overcome Fear and Self-Doubt (Courage)
Shlok:
“Karmano hrapi bodhavyam bodhavyam cha vikarmna” (Chapter 4, Verse 17)
You should know the nature of your Karma (Actions), Akarma (Inactions) and Vikarma (Prohibited actions). As a student your Karma, Akarma and Vikarma can be different and for someone other it can be different. You have to aware of them.
a. Karma
Karma means those actions or work which we do in our life. These are those deeds which we should do according to our Dharma, after understanding our duties and responsibilities.
Examples of Karma for Students:
• Studying: As a student, do whatever you can to develop yourself from your side by knowing yourself
• Asking questions: The right question is considered half the solution to the problem, ask yourself what impact what I am doing will have on me and this society
• Preparation for life: Student life should be seen as a preparation for the future that we are going to face
Remember, this is your life, but many people are going to be affected by your actions
b. Akarma (Inaction)
Akarma means inaction when you are not doing anything, otherwise its very deep meaning is non-doer ship, but as a student you have to remember that you have to give yourself a space for an inaction, which can make your actions very effective. For this you can use meditation, Mindfulness
c. Vikarma (Wrong Actions)
Vikarma means those actions which are wrong or which we do by going against our moral duty. These actions do not take us towards our goals, rather we have to face negative consequences.
Examples of Vikarma for students:
• Waste of time: The time we waste in criticizing the world and there are many such things which are beyond our control but still become the topic of our time pass. We must know that if we are anything reaching towards our long term goal through the topic we are talking about, then this is karma, if so, then this is a vikarma.
• Not feeling like doing work: If you are not feeling like doing an important work as a student, then this is a vikarma for you.
• Laziness: Running away from your responsibility and ignoring your goals
• Selection of entertainment: Whatever entertainment you select, it starts controlling your behavior to a great extent (See the concept of Mirror Neurons)
Conclusion: The Timeless Guide
Understanding these 6 lessons of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and applying them in your life can be a valuable journey for every student. Gita is not just a religious text, rather it is a life manual, which tells us the way to understand our struggles and overcome them.
1. Focus on Your Duty, Not the Outcome: Do your duty with commitment without worrying about the result.
2. Manage Your Desires and Stay Balanced: Maintain a balance between success and failure.
3. Control Your Mind: Keep your mind disciplined and focused, keep distractions away.
4. Embrace Learning and Detachment: Never stop learning and keep the desire to learn everything from your teacher.
5. Find Your Passion and Purpose: Understand your passion and follow your own swadharma.
6. Know your Karma, Akarma, and Vikarma: No one else will tell you these, you have to understand them yourself according to your short- and long-term goals.
By applying all these teachings in your life, you can get clarity and peace. When you understand the power within you and stay focused on your goals, you will overcome every challenge and get success.
“When you listen to the voice within you, then you will achieve your infinite potential.”
Call to Action
Now I want to ask you this: Which lesson from Bhagavad Gita did you find most inspiring? Share your favorite teachings in the comment section and tell us how you implemented these teachings in your life.
I also suggest that every student should start reading Bhagavad Gita through simplified translations or summaries so that you can understand its teachings easily. To get clarity and peace in your life, adopting the teachings of Gita can prove to be very helpful. If you wish to study deeper, I have given below links to some resources and books that can deepen your knowledge of Gita:
- Bhagavad Gita: A Simplified Translation
- The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita
- Bhagavad Gita: A Complete Study Guide
Start your journey and discover the true potential within you.
Other links
